COUNTRIES

Koketso is a graduate youth reporter from our ‘Tswa Daar’ reporter group in Moutse, Limpopo, South Africa. She has since gone on to study at the University of Johannesburg. She shares her story on being involved with the project.

[BACKROUND INFO] I am 18 years old, and in a family of two brothers and two sisters, I am the last born. I was raised by both parents in a very disadvantaged family, but I never want to let my condition become my conclusion. I passed my Grade 12 in 2016 at Ramatshagalala Secondary School.

How did you get involved with the CRF?

I went for interviews they held at school as they wanted young people who can join Tswa-Daar on Moutse Community Radio Station.

How was the experience?

The experience has been amazing, life changing for me. I was working with a team that is so dedicated and with very supportive facilitators. I have learnt so much from this program. I now know how to research, produce and talk. I have gained confidence and I am now able to speak in front of people.

What was the best part of the training?

Getting to understand and to start paying attention to daily events happening in our lives. Also going to Cape Town in 2015 to attend the Ubuntu Lab was a highlight. It helped me personally to understand that ubuntu is not only about giving but also about appreciating and helping other people, not with money only but with what you can.

What was the highlight of your service?

The highlight of my service was that we as a team were able to host an event with the aim of building the confidence of youth. We believed that for many young people, they engage in bad things because they lack self-confidence, so we tried by all means to raise their confidence. We know we can’t change the whole community, but if one person can change then possibly that can impact the whole community.

What difference do you think the programme has made?

It has created opportunities for young people where they were able to build their self-confidence and finally have a say and take control of their lives.

Where do you see yourself in the next decade?

I want to see my self working with other young people, passing the knowledge that CRF taught me to others. I also want to see my self working within a field like media or broadcasting, that the CRF has taught me about.

What’s your word power?

“Faith is taking the first step even if you don’t see the whole staircase” Martin Luther King